[torr59]

I had a feeling that you would regret sounding a little too tough on me the first post in reply to mine. If you re-read it you would agree that it read very hard. But your second post makes more sense. The fear that the cukture will become a mini-Chicago or Philadelphia were no one speaks Spanish at all or very well is a normal and respected fear. Learning, or at least atempting to learn little by little makes a lot of sense to be able to communicate as much as possible with others in the native tongue and especially when returning to Puerto Rico. I have failed in this area so far. I go every year and it is a frustating thing only being able to speak a little here and there with relatives (who do not really like speaking English at all). I also grudgingly agree that the culture would take a turn for the worse if everyone ended up in my boat by learning later in life, because not being exposed to the ideas that only Spanish speaking writers and authors and other members of the culture would make one less of a person. But I still belong as a part of the culture, as do others in my place, and there will always be an uneducated element to our society that will add to our numbers in the states. Just as our Italian-American references are a part of the bloodline but have different American perspectives on things, so will Hispanics of every Latin American culture, even if they leanr Spanish. The US infulences us whether we want to believe it or not. I will learn, and my historical ideas and readings, my readings in english about the history and patterns of Puerto Rican and Latin American culture and history as a whole, will help me be ahead of those that just speak spanish and never bothered to further thier education.

We're all in a similar boat. Lets enjoy the fact that some of us are trying, we have a distance to go, but our numbers consist of all of us. and If any of your relatives are near my age (27) and in the Northeast (Philadelphia), send them my email. I promise our children will speak Spanish.....LOL